Comparison of the effectiveness of common online marketing methods for businesses, as well as an introduction to related companies and costs

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This is just one person's opinion, for reference only. Everyone is welcome to offer criticism and suggestions.

Note: In this article, cost-effectiveness is divided into four categories: best, good, average, and poor. Business types are divided into four categories: large, medium, small, and micro-small enterprises.

1. **Business Service Platforms (Cost-effectiveness: Best; Requires personnel investment: Yes; Suitable for: All enterprises)**

For example, Alibaba and慧Cong. The functionality of business service platforms is the most comprehensive. Not only can product information be published, but potential customers can also be found, marketing and management levels improved, etc. The costs are well known, and if used effectively, the results are very good. If not used properly, it’s hard to say. After joining as a member, there are quite a few things that need to be done by yourself.

2. **Display Advertising (Cost-effectiveness: Average; Requires personnel investment: No; Suitable for: All enterprises)**

Currently, almost all websites offer display advertising, including image displays, text displays, and video displays. Portal sites charge a minimum of about 500 yuan per day, while personal websites charge as low as 5 yuan per month. The effects vary greatly, and with expert guidance, the results will be better.

3. **Search Engine Marketing (Cost-effectiveness: Good; Requires personnel investment: Yes; Suitable for: Small and medium-sized enterprises)**

For example, Baidu and Yahoo. Taking Yahoo as an example, the keyword bidding ranking service costs at least 0.1 yuan per click, and an account must have a pre-deposit of 500 yuan. Traditional enterprises generally spend around 1,000 yuan per month, but this varies widely. This is currently the most effective form of online marketing, but it requires significant investment, and professional personnel are needed to monitor and manage it.

4. **Email Marketing (Cost-effectiveness: Poor; Requires personnel investment: No; Suitable for: Small and micro-small enterprises)**

This article refers to email mass-sending services, which are mostly provided by small companies. Sending out 1 million emails costs a minimum of around 400 yuan and takes about a week to complete. The price is cheap, but the conversion rate is very low. Sending more or frequent emails still yields some effect. As anti-spam technology continues to improve, the effectiveness of email mass-sending is gradually decreasing.

5. **Business Software Mass-Sending (Cost-effectiveness: Average; Requires personnel investment: Yes; Suitable for: Small and micro-small enterprises)**

For example, Quan Neng Marketing and ShuSheng Business Friends. The general price of legitimate mass-sending software is around 1,000 yuan, and it must be operated by oneself. There are many techniques involved, and if used effectively, the results are decent. If not used properly, it’s basically wasted.

6. **Website Construction (Cost-effectiveness: Currently not good, but it is a necessary thing to do; Requires personnel investment: Yes; Suitable for: All enterprises)**

For example, Zhongqi Power. Building a website isn't expensive, with the lowest price in the industry being around 300 yuan. However, most companies treat their websites as decorations or face-saving measures. Without proper management, maintenance, and promotion, they are essentially useless.

7. **Website Optimization and Ranking Services (Cost-effectiveness: Good; Requires personnel investment: Yes; Suitable for: Large, medium, and small enterprises)**

Many companies offer this service, but the premise is that the enterprise must have its own website and someone within the company responsible for operations. The results are good and long-lasting, but it is a one-time investment with high costs (most are over 10,000 yuan).

8. **Marketing Full-Package Solutions Specifically for Small Enterprises (Cost-effectiveness: Good; Requires personnel investment: No; Suitable for: Small and micro-small enterprises)**

For example, JianShu Technology. For only 600 yuan per month, it includes enterprise blog construction, operation, promotion, and advertising mass-sending services. It integrates multiple effective online marketing methods, providing stable and lasting results without requiring personnel investment. It offers a worry-free full-package solution for small enterprises.

9. **Precision Marketing (Cost-effectiveness: Good; Requires personnel investment: No; Suitable for: Small and medium-sized enterprises)**

For example, LongTuo Interactive. The company provides services such as text links on news pages and pay-per-call advertisements. Since it is precision marketing, both the unit price and total costs are relatively high. It is still in the early stages of development but worth paying attention to.

10. **Soft Article Marketing (Cost-effectiveness: Average; Requires personnel investment: No; Suitable for: All enterprises)**

Most companies offering this service are small companies and freelance writers. The lowest price for writing + publishing is around 1,000 yuan, making it a one-time investment. The effectiveness depends on luck and is not long-lasting. If lucky, the results can be astonishing, similar to stock trading.

Among the above marketing methods, except for business service platforms and portal site display advertising, none of them are suitable for brand communication. Currently, the most effective method for brand communication remains traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers, and magazines.